New research from TikTok in partnership with NewtonX released today reveals a significant gap in advertisers’ ambitions for AI automation and its actual implementation.
The study reveals that 93% of advertisers and executives expect AI-driven automation to help drive future business growth and 96% believe it will improve their own job performance.
However, only 18% have fully integrated AI into their core operations and invested at scale [1]. Advertisers still face a number of implementation challenges, with data privacy and compliance, a lack of in-house skills and the speed of AI innovation all cited as hurdles to adoption.
Despite this gap, expectations are high
With 62% predicting automation could halve departmental costs and 84% expecting to see returns within a year.
Despite slow adoption for full integration of AI Automation, 78% of executives surveyed are growing their focus on automation through AI initiatives and increasing investment in AI capabilities, but they need support to move from piecemeal strategies to a cohesive, self-powering engine of productivity.
TikTok is the AI automation partner of choice for advertisers
Marketers are under pressure. An overwhelming majority of CMOs globally (87%) have experienced campaign performance issues in the last year and almost half were forced to terminate campaigns early due to poor results [2]. It’s more important than ever to innovate creative and marketing strategies.
TikTok is emerging as a leader in AI automation, with more than half (51%) of advertisers ranking it the number one platform for advanced automation in marketing [1].
93% of advertisers say TikTok’s AI-powered features help them move faster and adapt at the speed of culture, while 96% expect to increase their use of TikTok’s automation tools over the next six months.
Shadi Kandil, General Manager, Global Business Solutions, Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Central and South Asia – TikTok, says: “AI Automation is becoming essential for marketers striving to stay ahead. With Smart+ and Symphony, we’re helping brands reach the right people, create culturally relevant content at scale, and maximize performance with less effort. By removing operational complexity, we’re enabling advertisers to focus on strategy and creativity that fuels growth.”
TikTok’s suite of tools allows marketers to improve their return on effort, investment and creative
Executives and advertisers already use AI automation across the funnel, but they want smarter analytics, predictive insights and more personalised tools to reach audiences. That’s why we’re excited to roll out upgrades across Smart+ and Symphony bringing together automation and creativity to deliver stronger returns on investment.
These updates give advertisers more control while simplifying workflows, from a unified Smart+ buying experience that can be fine-tuned to fit any campaign goals, to Symphony tools that create TikTok-first ads in seconds, to expanded attribution solutions that show TikTok’s full impact.
Smart+ automates the performance advertising process across targeting, bidding, and creative to deliver the right ad to the right person to offer the best performance. Advertisers simply input their assets, budget, and targeting goals and Smart+ automatically creates or selects the best creative asset – utilizing TikTok Symphony, chooses the right audience, and puts the best ad in front of the right customer at the right time. We recently announced upgrades to Smart+ and the overall performance ad buying process by pairing the power of Smart+ with additional controls across targeting, creative, and budget.
TikTok Symphony is TikTok’s creative suite of generative AI tools designed to streamline creative production and spark bold new ideas. With Symphony, everything from helping to write a script to producing a video and optimizing assets is effortless and efficient – fueling business success with content that strikes a chord. Built-in performance insights help marketers refine and improve creative strategies over time.